Headlight shield



Aug. M, 1923. 1,464,86Q z. YASUDA HEADLIGHT SHI ELD Filed June 50. 1922 f/VVf/VTOR .ZE/WCH/ Wis 00,4.

' and capable of being easily and quickly as- Patented Aug. 114, 1923.

ZENICHI YASUDA, OF SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA.

HEADLIGHT SHIELD.

Application filed June 30, 1922. Serial No. 571,941.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ZENIOHI YASUDA, a subject of the Emperor of Japan, residing in .he city and county of Santa Barbara and State of California, have invented a new and useful Headlight Shield, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in dimmer devices for headlights, and particularly for those used on an automobile for preventing the glare from the lamps of an approaching car, and the primary object of this invention is to provide a shield of the above-mentioned character with a view of lessening the glare and brilliancy of the lam j which often would cause pedestrians or the driver of an approaching car to be blinded, and often resulting in serious accidents.

The present invention, broadly considered, comprises a translucent shield which is in the nature of an attachment for the lamp,

sociated therewith, or removed therefrom when it is desired. to increase the brilliancy of the lamps, my device, when applied for use, being entirely supported upon the exterior of the lamp, so that no alteration thereof is necessary'for its use.

The nature and advantages of the invention may be better understood from the following detail description and the accompanying drawing the invention residing in the novel arrangement of parts as set forth in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side view of an automobile lamp having my invention applied thereto, the dimming device being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a front view of the supportin frame for my lamp dimmer. Fig. 3 is a ront view of the dimmer removed from its supporting frame. Fig. 4 is a sectional and plan view of my device.

Referring to the drawings, my improved headlight shield consists of a glass receptacle 11, formed by a concavo-convex lens 12, adapted to be mounted in front of the lamp 13, with the concave surface 14, adjacent to the lamp, and having the convexoconcave lens 15. A substantially spherical extension 16, consisting of solid glass, is formed integral with the lens wall 15. The lens walls 12 and 15 enclose a s ace filled with a liquid 17, consisting pre erably of water. Within this water-filled chamber 18, I have mounted .a screen shade 19, supported by wire standards 20, which engage with an annular flange 21, formed integral with the lens wall 15. In actual practice I have found that the best results are obtained by making the spherical ball member 16, of a diameter equal to four-tenths the diameter of the receptacle 11. The diameter of the part 22 at the union of the ball and lens 15, 1s one-half the diameter of the ball 16, and the diameter of the screen shade 19 is seventenths of the diameter of part 22. A metal band 23, is mounted on lens 15, being supported in position by a flange 24 integral with lens 15. Integral wth this band 23, are the supporting members 25. having on their extremities the clamps 26, for attachment to the bracket support 28, for the lamp. In use, any suitable attaching means may be considered the equivalent of clamps 26. Edges 27 and 29, are sealed by cement to protect the rims of the lens and serve to clamp the lens together to form the chamber 18.

In use, the device is mounted in front of the headlamp and adjacent to the front lens therefor. The object of the screen shade 19 is to cut off the more direct rays of light from the headlamp. The liquid contents 17 serve as a prismatic refractor for the major portion of the rays, and tend to deflect them so as to pass through the front lens and into the ball portion 16, and to pass through that part of the lens immediately surrounding the screen shade 19. Only reflected and refracted light rays will enter the spherical member 16, which, by its peculiar form, has the effect of dimming the intensity of the light when the-observer is near the headlamp, and, at all distances, eliminates the undesirable glare given by the unprotected headlamp, while, with the spherical form of the member 16, the effect is apparently, to increase the volume of the diffused light. The water forming the liquid contents of the receptacle 11, in itself, constitutes an effective means for diffusing the light rays that pass therethrough. From the ordinary headlamp substantially parallel rays of light are projected. In Fig. 1, I have shown the approximate path of one or more rays of light through my improved shield, but it is to be understood that the reflected rays do not necessarily follow the lines shown. They are merely illustrative. The screen shade 19 effectively cuts off the glare of the direct rays of light from the lamp, and may Mill) be either opaque or semi-transparent to accomplish this end.

From the foregoing description, it may be seen that I have provided an efficient headlight shield, which eliminates the glare of the direct light rays, but increases the apparent volume of the diffused light When the observer is at some distance from the headlamp.

What is claimed is:

1. In a headlight shield, a lens-Walled receptacle, a liquid content therein, a spherical and transparent protuberance integral with the front receptacle Wall and projecting axitent therein, a

ally therefrom, and a light obscuring means Within the receptacle and disposed at the center thereof to intercept the central rays of light,

2. n a headlight shield, a glass-Walled receptacle adapted to be mounted in front of the headlight, a liquid light-diffusing conlight dispersing member mounted in front of and integral with. the receptacle Wall, and effective to transmit the diffused light from the receptacle, and

an obscuring means Within the receptacle and. adjacent to the light dispersing member, and effective to intercept the central and non-deflected rays of light.

3. In a headlight shield, the combination with a pair of glass lens cemented together to form a sealed chamber, of a liquid content Within the chamber, an opaque screen at the center of the chamber, means for supporting the screen against the inner Wall-of the front lens, and a substantially spherical projection integral With the front lens and slightly larger at its union with the lens, than the opaque screen.

4. In a headlight shield, the combination with. a front and rear lens cemented together to form a sealed chamber and a liquid content Within the chamber, of a metal ring.

upon the outer Wall of the outer lens, and adapted to intercept a limited part of the lamp rays, and a glass ball integral With the front lens, and adapted to disperse the lamp rays not intercepted by the metal ring.

ZENICHI YASUDA. 

